Darkwind Green I: The Vigilance Code
by zephyrXmeridian
Summary: Several years after CIPHER's demise, an intelligence organization called the Vigilance Network has discovered information that the formerly powerful syndicate is rebulding a vast new syndicate far outnumbering the former. Then a young prodigy is called in
1. Death of a Professor

**Darkwind Green: _The Vigilance Code_**

_Prologue_

* * *

**A/N** – _Ah, the infamous Author's Note. I started this story about a year ago, but forgot about it when school started. Call me a fool, especially since I know from experience that dual writing is really, really hard sometimes, but I figure the fandoms of this one and the HotU fic-in-progress are different enough that I should be able to keep from confusing them. So I'm uploading this one too. Sue me. _

_Anyway. I, for one, was rather disappointed at the storyline of Pokemon XD, especially after the immensely more stirring Coliseum. (My spellcheck says I spelled that right but it looks funny...) So this is what I think should have really happened. More or less, throw in/take out a few characters here and there._

_ Also, as most of this was written quite a while ago, about two chapters might seem a but substandard; pay them no mind and keep in mind that the first real "new" material, excluding lengthy edits to chapters to make this fic post-worthy, begins at the end of Chapter 8.   
_

_All in all, hope it's worth reading. : ) - __**Silvorfithrade**_

* * *

Haxer watched on camera as a dark-haired young woman wearing a dark green bandanna slipped silently and almost unseen through the heavy gates barring the initial headquarters entrance. Though infuriated at being bested by a woman, he couldn't help but watch in fascination as her nimble fingers flew over the keypad and broke the coding as easily as if she had been a part of CIPHER all along. 

He continued to stare, enraptured, at the screen as she bypassed almost all of the guards, and when she soundly and mercilessly defeated the admin that _had_ seen her, he had to choke down a scream of pure anger. Oh, he knew full and well who this was; he had seen that same battle style, that same Pokemon team, and even the fighting style she used post-battle to finish the admin off. This was someone who could fight physically almost as well as she handled Pokemon, and now he knew she was no woman, but still a child, a teenage girl, not even sixteen years old.

"Double-crossing wench!" he spat at the security screen. How many hours had he spent training this girl? This child, a mere orphan he had taken in off the streets of some obscure, impoverished town when she was not even a year old? She had been the closest thing he had ever had to a daughter, and now she was throwing it all away, though for what purpose, he feared he would never know. Would he even dare lay hands on his own child?

"Of course I will!" he roared, answering his own question out loud. "I brought her up through the ranks, and when she left CIPHER I swore I would kill her! Now is the time to make good on my call!"

Haxer raised a hand to slam a beefy fist on the _off_ button, but stopped and took a double take at the screen. She had turned a corner, and now she was speaking with someone, presumably her partner. Who on earth was that with her? The tall, lanky frame; the long silver hair; the smooth, even stride…he, too, seemed very familiar…

"No!" he growled as he realized who he was up against. Already, he wasn't sure if he could take her on by herself, but with this man accompanying her? He knew firsthand how formidable an opponent he was. "Damn, this puts a damper on everything!" he grumbled as he wracked his mind for something to do. Finally, he issued a red-alert call into the intercom system. "Outer walls breached!" he yelled into the speaker. "I repeat, outer walls breached! All 'E' rank officers to Section 5-B immediately!"

He fumed as he stared at the door. He wasn't going to lose his position as Commodore of CIPHER. Not after all he had done to earn the position. The girl would die before he gave up his rank.

**oOo**

"Torian! I'm…I'm glad you made it." Steven Stone held out a hand and greeted the dark-haired girl with a traditional, military-style handshake, but his eyes betrayed the sincerity that his formality hid. "I managed to stall his elite officers for some time. Did you stop the transactions?"

She smiled grimly. "No, but I've slowed them down long enough so that CIPHER won't receive anything explosive for about a month or so. Enough time for us to complete our mission, I think."

He nodded. "That's good. More than Vigilance Network was expecting from you, probably. You know how they scorn women and all that."

Turning, she pointed at an alarm device on the wall that she had just noticed. "It may not help us much now, but I'm going to try and deactivate this."

One thing Steven noticed about fifteen-year-old battle prodigy Torian Mercede was that she had a very distinctive smile, one that belayed a kind heart filled with grim determination, a smile somewhat dampened by a somewhat dark past. Steven glanced at her and murmured under his breath, "So young…she's too young for this."

Torian looked up. "What?"

"Nothing." Steven shook his head lightly, causing his long, tangled silver hair to toss about gently. "Come on, let's go; we have a job to do."

**oOo**

He could hear footsteps in the hallway. Haxer laid a hand on the pokeball of his precious Mightyena, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Pokemon alone would not help him now. The soft, light tread he had heard for almost six years was once again walking down the hallway, only this time, she wasn't looking for help.

"I've been waiting for you," was all he could think of to say when he saw her; Haxer was breathtaken by what he saw. In the two and a half years she had been gone, she had changed so much he barely recognized her. Her hair, which had once been a frizzy flaming red was now a sleek reddish-brown, waist-length and tied up with a dark green bandanna. She had shot up in height, though she was still not a very tall person, and he didn't recognize the insignia she wore on her vest. The only thing, in fact, that was the same was her eyes; the dark green orbs carried fifteen years of emotion that only she would know.

"Oh, have you really? That's nice of you," she answered sweetly. "So kind of you to care. I see you haven't changed much, but then, in your eyes, you were always perfect. Maybe one day you'll find a mirror that reveals your greedy, power-hungry personality."

Haxer, as the coldhearted, stoic leader of CIPHER, never expected her words to hurt as much as they did, but his child's accusation seared through him like poison on an open wound. He could only stare, openmouthed, as she continued, "You know, all these years and I've believed in your cause. It was only recently that I was set straight." She shook her head. "And you know, I feel really stupid now, because I believed you. All your speeches about how we would make Orre, and the rest of the world a better place…all lies, weren't they? All you did was stockpile more money, further your dream in world domination, and for what?"

Finally, Haxer managed to unglue his jaw. "You listen to me, girl, and you listen good. I _raised_ you. If it weren't for me, you would never have…"

"I don't want to hear your explanations," she said suddenly, cutting him off. "If I hear one more thing about this 'I picked you off the street out of the goodness of my heart' crap, then I swear, I will ram my fist down your throat. I'm not here for negotiations."

Haxer grabbed her by the arm roughly and gripped her shoulder with unyielding fingers, swallowing the guilty feeling he felt in his throat. He had never had a conscience before; why did he pick _now_ to develop one? "I may have raised you, but I can pull you down just as easily. Do you honestly wish for me to demonstrate?"

She shook her head slowly. "Oh, no, what ever will I do? Haxer, you really haven't changed at all since last I saw you. Even the same disregard for women is there. Well, do what you want with me, but I assure you, my part in this is just about over. I didn't come in by myself, you know." Torian wasn't sure if she saw correctly, but she thought she saw a little flicker of fear in her father's eyes at her little charade. "Oh, yes," she continued, giving another attempt to feed that fear. "As we speak, Vigilance Network is sending in troops in groups of twenty to infiltrate every inch of this place. It's too late for you, Haxer; your time is almost up."

She would have said more, but in his anger, Haxer had violently swung his fist into her stomach, causing her to double over in pain. "Nothing would give me more satisfaction than to kill you slowly and painfully right here," he growled through gritted teeth.

Torian clenched her jaw and waited; her job was to wait for Steven to come in while Haxer was distracted and allow her partner to swipe CIPHER's bill of purchase papers on the explosives contract they had just signed. Only then was he to help Torian out, and only if he could do it without public notice. Unfortunately for their plan, things didn't work out that way.

Haxer's fist first slammed into her cheek, then her nose, then her throat. Gasping at the pain, Torian began to wonder why Steven was late in coming. She didn't have much time to think, however, because she was suddenly picked up and slammed against the cement walls of CIPHER's headquarters. _That's it_, she thought through the agony. _I'm going to die here._ She could hear something crack, and she began to have difficulty breathing. Each breath of air was bought at the price of a sharp, driving sting in her ribs.

Dimly, she heard Steven call out her name. _Finally, we can get on with the mission,_ she thought as she looked up, expecting him to head straight for Haxer's desk and the papers. Instead, he went for Haxer.

The iron grip on her arms was released suddenly as a blow to the back caused Haxer to drop her in shock. "Steven, the papers!" she could hear herself say. "Don't worry about me! _Get the papers_!" Everything was in a strange perspective, however, as though she was watching it all through a window.

"I got 'em," she heard Steven say quietly as she felt herself being lifted into the air, though the action brought a fresh wave of pain across her small body. "Now let's get you out of here."

**oOo**

Red alarm lights blinked on and off as Steven Stone ran through the narrow, twisting hallways of Haxer's main headquarters with the barely-alive Torian in his arms. _It wasn't supposed to turn out like this_, he thought. _I didn't come soon enough. I let myself get held up._

He had accidentally made himself open for attack, and now, he was suffering the consequences. He, as a member of Vigilance Network, shouldn't have worried about Torian; he knew she would only slow him down, and yet, he did not leave her behind. Steven knew he would pay for his actions afterward, but for some reason, the top priority in his agenda at the moment seemed to be to get Torian to safety.

Why did things always go wrong when he tried to be a nice guy? He would never have been able to live with himself had he left the girl behind; she was still a child! At fifteen, she should never have had to worry about bringing down multi-million-dollar crime organizations; most girls her age were freshmen and sophomores in high school, who never had to worry about death and destruction. If she were a normal girl, she would be talking on the phone to her friends about boys, clothes, and when the next test would be at this hour of night; she wouldn't be lying in his arms at the brink of death at the hands of her former boss and father.

Somehow, even though preoccupied with his thoughts, Steven managed to find the way to an obscure back exit, and with a sigh of relief, he drew in a deep breath of night air and radioed for a helicopter. They had succeeded. As close as their mission had come to failure, they had succeeded.

**oOo**

Even as he heard the panicked shouts of his men, Haxer watched through the window in stoic silence as the red alarm lights flashed in every room of the headquarters. As his anger toward his "daughter" slowly waned, his conscience began to fire rapid questions at his mind, and he wasn't enjoying it at all.

"Damn!" he swore angrily as he paced about his office. "I'm the new commodore of a criminal organization bent on world domination; I'm not supposed to have a _conscience_!"

_This isn't your place_, the voice in his head teased him. _You know you feel badly for doing what you did to that girl. She's so much younger than you, and so much smaller. How could you even think to_…

"_Shut up_!" he roared, pulling at his hair in a feeble attempt to silence the voice. "I don't need a little voice in my head telling me what to do! Go bother someone else!"

_Oh, no, my friend,_ it said slowly. _I'm afraid I've always been here, and I'm here to stay._

* * *

**A/N:**_Yes, I combined the prologue with the first chappie. Why? Because I'm extremely OCD about the fact that if you upload a prologue on its own, the little number system that counts the chapters is forever off by one. Like, Prologue chappie 1 and then chappie 1 chappie 2. And that bothered me greatly enough to pull down chapter 1 and the prologue and combine them in a fit of discomfort. Sort of. I'm not completely nuts, I promise. : )_

* * *

**Chapter 1 – **_**Death of a Professor**_

_Three years earlier...**  
**_

Eleven-year-old Keiran Valdoa knew something was wrong the second he stepped inside the giant, two-story laboratory he called home. After training with his Eevee in the woods behind his home, he returned and found the spirit in the house low, stricken, and forlorn.

"Kamis, what's going on?" he asked the woman at the reception counter. "Is CIPHER back?"

Kamis smiled weakly at his wild guess. "Luckily, no, but…" her smile vanished as quickly as it had come. "Keiran…just…go see your mother. Yes, that would be best."

The boy frowned but did as he was told. As he went up the elevator, across sterile hallways, and into the living quarters of the lab team, he was greeted by his three-year-old sister Jovi, who ran up to him and hugged his leg in her usual, bubbly way. She was the only one who was bouncy.

"Jovi sees sad people," she announced. "Jovi is the only one who is happy. Even Mommy is upset." Her bright blue hair bounced up and down as she jumped, trying to get Keiran to pick her up. "Will Brother hold Jovi? Jovi doesn't want to walk anymore."

Keiran bent down and picked up his little sister as he called for his mother amidst the many rooms of the lab house. He turned a corner and abruptly bumped bodily into Professor Krane, his father's closest friend and colleague. "Professor? What's going on?" he asked.

Allan Krane sighed and nodded down the hall. "Jovi, you can walk; put her down and follow me," he said heavily.

Keiran followed the professor, not really paying attention to where he was going as his thoughts ran wild. What could possibly have happened?

"Dad!" he cried upon entering the room to which Professor Krane had brought him. Keiran's father, the Director of the Orre Laboratory, was lying prone on a cot. "He's not…dead, is he?"

His mother shook her head. "No, but he may as well be. Radiation cancer…may the heavens have mercy on him. At least it's a quick way to go."

"But there's a cure for it, right?"

Lily snorted. "That's what they want you to think. If you pay close attention, you realize that anyone who goes in for treatment never comes out; we may run a famous laboratory, but every penny went into the research for the Purification Chamber." She snorted. "And it's still not finished yet." Keiran could see the lines on his mother's face as she tried valiantly to hold in her tears. "We never knew he had it…until he just keeled over and fainted. Aidan just ran the tests on him…" She bit her lip and said nothing else.

"Dad?" Keiran shook his father's shoulder. "Dad? It's me, Keiran. Can you hear me?"

"Keiran…" Jesse Valdoa groaned. "I don't want to leave you and Jovi…but my time is…almost up…"

"No, Dad," Keiran whispered. "You can't. Everyone in this room…everyone in Orre needs your research. You can't die."

Jesse shook his head and placed a hand on his son's arm. "Relax, kid," he said softly. "You're a tough man. I knew…knew from the…beginning that you…were."

"Only because you're there," Keiran replied quietly. How had things changed so drastically?

"Allan told me…he told me what you were doing before you came in." Jesse smiled weakly. "That's my boy…always with Pokemon."

"Dad…Jovi doesn't…" Keiran felt the tears well up in his eyes, but he didn't even attempt to hold them in. "Jovi doesn't even know what's going on…"

"I'll leave it to you to tell her…she spoke to me earlier. Always happy, that one is." He laughed, an empty, rasping cough wracking his body as it died down. "You two always made me smile."

He coughed again and said, "Promise…promise me one…thing…Keiran. Make sure…make sure they finish the…the Purification Chamber. Don't forget CIPHER! You must…finish the chamber."

By this time, the tears were flowing freely as Keiran realized his father wasn't going to live much longer. He nodded shakily. "I will…Dad."

Jesse smiled. "That's my son. I…always knew…you were your…father's boy…"

He closed his eyes and smiled peacefully. "Stay strong Keiran…" Slowly, his breathing subsided.

"Dad, no…" Keiran whispered. "Please…"

"Daddy?" Jovi walked slowly to her father and shook his shoulders. "Daddy? Wake up, Daddy!" She giggled. "You said you had work to do!"

She shook him some more and grew confused. "Daddy?" Her innocent blue eyes betrayed her confusion as she looked up at her brother's tear-stricken face. "Brother, he's not waking up. Mommy? Why won't he wake up? Daddy!"

"He's…" Lily's voice broke as she scooped the girl up in her arms. "He's not going to wake up, sweetie."

Her eyes grew wide. "He's not? But how will Jovi help him finish his work if he won't wake up?"

A sudden, gripping rage filled Keiran, and he ran. He didn't care where he ended up, or where he would go; he just ran. "Keiran, come back!" Professor Krane called, but the boy didn't answer. He didn't even hear.

A small Eevee bounded after him, but he took no notice. All Keiran knew was the anger, the grief, and the pain he felt in his heart. He just couldn't understand how fast it had happened; he had never even known his father was ill! If he had known, maybe he could have done something…

"Vwee?" the Eevee trilled as it bounded up Keiran's leg. "Ee? Evwee?"

Keiran held his Pokemon closely as he stopped running and sat down on the grass. He didn't even know where he was, but he didn't care. The environment in Orre was, for the most part, too caustic for wild Pokemon to survive anyway, so the chances of him being attacked were very slim. Besides, hadn't CIPHER been wiped out two years ago anyway? Who would even think to come out this far north?

"We think we're safe," he murmured. "We all do now. But we're not. My dad's death is proof of that." He looked into Eevee's knowing eyes and continued, "Why do these things always happen to the Valdoa family? Mom told me that, seventeen years ago, Dad's little brother vanished and was never seen again. Then, _his_ father lost his sight in a battle accident. Now…" Fresh tears dripped down Keiran's cheeks as the loss washed over him again. "Now, he's gone too," he whispered.

Eevee's fur bristled. "Eevee! Vwee!" it chittered angrily.

Keiran knew exactly what his Pokemon was saying, and that he was the one being spoken too, and when he looked back up at the trees, somehow, they looked different. Just like everything else, he thought. Nothing will ever be the same.


	2. Freedom

**Chapter 2 – **_**Freedom**_

"Azer, Shadow Ball!" Torian commanded to her Mightyena. The Pokemon responded eagerly, sending a crushing wave of dark energy to its opponent, a rather scraggly looking Vigoroth. However, her mind was not on battling; nor were her thoughts focused on the scene before her. This was just another battle to her, just like every new Shadow Pokemon was just another fighting machine to her father.

The Vigoroth responded with a flurry of swipes that stirred up a harsh gust and blew her long red hair about. She swept hair from her eyes and made herself focus on the battle unfolding before her, but even as she did, her Mightyena swept up to its opponent and finished it off with a rough bite from its sharp fangs.

"Azer!" she groaned. She loved her Mightyena, but sometimes the dog Pokemon was a little _too_ eager to battle.

"Great job!" her opponent, a young man named Kio, called out to her as he walked across the field. He extended his hand to her. "You're better than you look. How old are you, anyway?"

"Thirteen," she answered as she motioned for Azer to come stand by her.

Kio's eyebrows went up. "Thirteen? Good grief, I was still a newbie when I was thirteen! That was five years ago! You got a bright future ahead of you, gal, no mistake. Good luck, and I do mean that." He smiled warmly and left the practice arena of Pyrite Town's Coliseum.

"Azer, how many times have I told you not to jump ahead of my orders!" Torian cried out exasperatedly as soon as Kio was out of earshot.

"I can't help it," Azer replied dully. "You take so long sometimes…"

"And keep your voice down!" she warned. "You're a Pokemon; you're not supposed to be able to talk!"

"Good grief, Torian, you're always yelling at me lately," Azer complained when they reached the locker room. "You used to not be like this, you know, before you entered that custom training program that Haxer prepares for his advanced trainees?"

She sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, Azer. It's just that…" she looked around. "I feel so trapped sometimes. Think about it; I'm the CIPHER Commodore's daughter. I'm under top security most of the time, I'm not allowed to go anywhere outside of Father's temporary base, and my days are now consumed with nothing but battle after endless battle. They all melt into one another after a while. Why can't _I_ get any action every once in a while?"

"Why don't you just run away?" Azer suggested.

"Remember what happened two years ago?" she asked impatiently. "CIPHER was all but wiped out by a teenager and his girlfriend. After we were exposed, everyone was our enemy. People hate CIPHER and everything it stands for, Azer. And if they all know who I am, then that makes running away close to impossible."

Azer gave her a canine-ish shrug and said thoughtfully, "Personally, this Shadow Pokemon business is a little shady, if you get my drift. I know the reason I can talk is because the shadow process went wrong, but I can't even imagine a life without feelings. Torian, do you understand what it _does_ to you? It completely closes off your heart so that you don't trust anyone, you don't _know_ anyone, and you can't feel anything."

She glanced toward the direction of Haxer Mercede's temporary "office" carelessly. "Even if I tried, and even if I _were_ as strong as Father, I still wouldn't be able to stop anyone," she said firmly. "I would have to be able to beat the Grandmaster, and even then, I would have to figure out a way to keep him from regrouping and starting over."

Azer shrugged again. "Go for the throat," he said simply.

"Azer!" Torian exclaimed. "Hush! If anyone else from CIPHER hears you…and besides…"

"Torian Kiyalrin Mercede!" one of her bodyguards yelled, "who the _hell_ are you talking to in there?"

"Shut up, Azer," she whispered quickly. "Talking? What the _hell_ are you talking about?" she countered saucily. "You might need a mental checkup to see if you're not schizophrenic."

"Well you've been in there a long time!" he called back.

"I have to condition my Pokemon for the knockout challenge, imbecile!" she cried with an exasperated tone that was completely contrary to what she was feeling. "Damn, you're stupid!"

"Watch your mouth," Azer warned in an undertone. "You know Haxer hates it when you swear."

"And how is he supposed to hear me?" she asked quietly. "He's supposed to be my father. He's supposed to be there for me, not abandon me at the mercy of my bodyguards so he can go and hatch up another plan to take over the world. Those cretins wouldn't recognize a threat if it walked right over their fat asses, anyway. What do you want to bet that they're hired to keep _me_ in, not the other way around?"

"Well why don't we find a way to get out?" Azer suggested. "You _did_ say they were just brainless cretins, right?"

"How, though?" she asked desperately. "There's no way out of this godforsaken town, not without being spotted.

"So use the Under. You know CIPHER is still active down there; you'd fit right in."

"And how are we supposed to get down there?"

Azer looked at her with his yellow eyes. "Well, I have a Pokeball…and I hope you know how to climb."

**oOo**

Two hours later, Torian found herself climbing slowly down the rock face of the mile-deep crevasse that led to the Under. After thirty minutes of seemingly endless descent, her arms were aching from exertion. It had seemed like a good idea at first, but though years of CIPHER training had left Torian in excellent physical condition, the sheer rock face was slowly wearing her down.

Though she grew dizzier and weaker, she managed to hold on to consciousness until she reached the top of the stairwell that led to the innermost depth of the Under. There, she collapsed, everything blacking out before her eyes.

When she came to, the first thing she realized was that everything was dark. The dim street lamps and old, worn-down neon signs barely cast their flickering lights on the dank, narrow streets, and their light had yet to pierce the darkness of corners and alleyways. "Hey, kid, you okay?" whispered a male voice.

"Who's there?" she whispered back, suddenly on the alert. She kept her hand on Azer's Pokeball and looked around, trying futilely to see what was around her.

With a slight hiss, someone struck a match, and she saw that she was in one of the Under's infamous alleys, surrounded by boxes, crates, and splintered barrels. Sitting in front of her was a young man wearing a long, blue coat. His pale, sandy hair was spiked up in an unruly manner, held out of his eyes by an oddly-shaped silver headband, and he had a white stripe painted across his face. She assumed he was from on of the numerous Pyrite and Under gangs, though if that was the case, his pristine clothing certainly did not fit him.

"I'm not going to mug you or anything, if that's what you think," he said quickly. "I just decided that this would be a safer place for you, you being unconscious and all."

Torian was confused. Certainly, this guy wanted something from her! "But you don't even know me. Why do you care?"

He raised his black-gloved hands in defeat. "That's it; I give up. Why don't I ever have any luck with rescuing girls? Heck, the last girl I rescued slapped me full in the face even _after_ I told her I was there to help her."

"So, who are you, anyway?"

He held out a hand. "You can call me Kalas. And you would be…?"

She shrugged. "Well, people call me different things. My favorite by far is Cursed Wench; I get called that a lot. My given name is Torian, though."

Kalas laughed. "Well, at least _you_ have a sense of humor. Did you actually _climb_ down here from the Pyrite crevasse?"

Torian nodded. "Yeah, that pretty much explains why I was out on the dirt when you found me. I don't know what I was thinking, either…how could I have thought I would be able to climb down that myself?" She shook her head. "Amazing what dares can do to people."

"I'm just surprised you haven't broken anything," Kalas pointed out. "Not many people can attempt something like that. At least you're not one of those CIPHER peons. CIPHER is starting to get under my skin these days, the way Grandmaster Evice is trying to bring everything back from his prison cell. I just wish they would give up."

Torian's blood ran cold. Had CIPHER fallen so far as to where they were no longer welcome in the Under as well?

Kalas got to his feet and helped her up. "Come on, I have a feeling you don't need to be out on the streets, now that I know you're not one of _them_. Let me take you to Lia's place."

It was all she could do to nod. Now she had mixed feelings about CIPHER, as well as her rescuer. Sure, he said his name was Kalas, but who was he, really? She looked around, half-expecting her father to leap out of the shadows and take her back to his headquarters, but all she saw were people, some bearing the CIPHER emblem and some not. She pulled her jacket tighter around her, making sure no one could see the tattoo on her own shoulder, shivering all the while.

She didn't know why she was letting Kalas help her, especially when his own words had proved him to be an enemy of CIPHER. Yet, even though the side of her conditioned by CIPHER was telling her to turn on him, she didn't. Maybe she _was_ a member of CIPHER, but her pride was not about to let her go back to Pyrite Coliseum to the servitude of her father. She would blaze her own path and show him how good she really was, and no one would stand in her way.


	3. Return of the Unexpected

**Chapter 3 – **_**Return of the Unexpected**_

_Present Day_

* * *

"Okay, kid, I'm not playing games. Get out of this shop and wait till you're older!" 

Keiran Valdoa struggled to hold his mounting anger in check as he futilely tried to convince the bouncer outside of Rashan's Mecha Parts that he was indeed fourteen, and not a little child. "Look, can't you tell by my voice that I'm no little kid?" he asked incredulously. "Just because I'm short does _not_ mean I'm too young to be buying parts for a motor scooter! And since when does a mechanical component dealer need a bouncer, anyway?"

"Kid, I'm just doing what I'm told, m'kay? No one under thirteen unless you have special permission, and you, my friend do not. So get out of my sight, got it?"

"How about a battle to loosen you up?" Keiran suggested darkly. He was fed up with the bouncer's attitude problem.

The burly man laughed heartily. "You? I still don't believe you're fourteen, kid. You must have some nerve. But okay; a battle's a battle. You lose, you get out of here. Got it?"

Keiran set a hand on his Pokeballs in answer. "Yeah, whatever."

Five rather seemingly unfair minutes later, the bouncer threw his hands up in defeat. "Since when do little kids come so strong lately…" he muttered darkly as he stormed off in search of a Pokemon center.

"Perr? Hey, Perr! I have a few questions, if you don't mind!" Keiran hollered when walked inside. The proprietor was a good friend of his, and the seventeen-year-old mechanical genius slipped in through the back door that led to his workshop.

"Huh? Oh, hey, Keiran. I wasn't expecting you today. What ya need?"

"A few answers, first, if you don't mind?" Keiran nodded at the door and the bouncer, who had returned. "Why do you need bouncers in a mechanical parts shop, first off, and why do they come so _stupid_?"

Perr Rashan looked at his friend apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't realize he would cause a problem for you. I didn't have the money to hire some battle whiz so he was all I could find."

"But it's not like people come in here and cause trouble, like they do in bars, right?"

Perr shook his head. "Not lately. I don't know if you've heard the rumors, but…" he lowered his voice to a whisper and motioned for Keiran to come closer. "CIPHER's back. They're stronger this time, too."

"CIPHER?" Keiran exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Shh, not so loud!" Perr said quickly, looking nervously at the windows. "You never know who's listening, and because this is a port town, you tend to get a lot of shady people walking around. But someone, and I'm pretty sure I know who, was getting little kids to sneak in here and steal parts. You know, small guys that can dart in and dart back out without me noticing. I caught a couple, but they were too scared of whoever hired them to say much. I couldn't hire someone to keep _everyone_ out, but the least I can do now is keep little kids from coming in here, whether they come to play around or steal."

His eyes darkened. "They say CIPHER has a new Grandmaster, a wily one with unbelievably strong Pokemon. That's what was going on for the past two or three years; CIPHER's change of leadership. See, most of the admins and whatnot were unbelievably loyal to Grandmaster Evice, and when he was overthrown by another man, his underlings stuck with him. Needless to say, the new leader appointed four new admins and other completely different people as various officers."

Keiran shook his head, confused. "But how come no one, well, not many people know about it, then? I mean, CIPHER's big news and all, but how do you know if it's true?"

"I heard the news personally from Nett of ONBS. Orre News Broadcasting System…only they haven't aired anything yet because they're still confirming everything." Perr shivered. "Plus, you keep seeing members of Team Snagem at the Bed and Brawler's, which is the bar most known for true information, and most of them you can hear complaining about how much they hate CIPHER."

"That's new," Keiran said thoughtfully. "I thought Team Snagem was allied with CIPHER."

"They were," Perr answered. "But the new Grandmaster severed all connections with Team Snagem. Needless to say, Gonzap was probably very angry. Who could blame them? I mean, they lost their most powerful ally, and now they're most likely facing destruction."

Keiran shivered. If CIPHER was back…and with his father gone, how would they finish the Purification Chamber in time? "Anyway," he said, burying his fears under the tasks he had to do, "the reason I came was because I need a new engine on my scooter."

"But it's only been, what, a year and a half? That engine should last you another three years," Perr pointed out.

The short redhead grinned. "Yeah, well, let's just say it doesn't go fast enough."

"Ah." Perr nodded knowingly. "Well, I have something you might like, in that case…"

"Keiran Valdoa?"

A neat, well-dressed young woman stuck her blonde head in the parts shop and glanced at him. "You _are_ Keiran, am I correct?"

He nodded slowly, taking in her pristine appearance with more than a little suspicion. "Yeah, why?"

She flashed a brilliant smile. "Is your father's name Jesse Valdoa?"

Keiran snorted in contempt. "Not anymore. He died three years ago. What do you want?"

The woman's eyes widened and she held a hand up to her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I had no idea…it's just been so long…"

She calmed herself after a moment and began, "My name is Alice van Norton. I was Jesse's lab partner all through high school and I was sent to invite him to a reunion…"

Frowning, Keiran fiddled with his jacket as he cocked his head sideways in confusion. "Wait, that can't be true. Dad never went to high school; his parents enrolled him in the university when he was fifteen."

A dark gleam of fury appeared in Alice's eyes at her careless trip-up. "Okay! Fine! You weren't supposed to be that crafty, but I guess I just have to blame the goons that did my research for me. Come on, Valdoa; you're coming with me."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Perr broke in, setting a firm hand on the woman's shoulder. "I know you, Alice; your older brother comes here a lot. Tell me, am I correct in that you work for…" he ripped her left shirtsleeve with a deft movement of his hand, revealing the intricate CIPHER emblem tattooed on her shoulder.

Keiran gasped. He had somewhat doubted Perr's story, but now he was certain. "So it _is_ true!" he exclaimed.

"Alice, how could you?" Perr shook his head sadly. "I remember you used to be one of the biggest CIPHER haters I knew. What made you change your mind?"

"Grandmaster Greevil is the greatest leader I have ever seen, Perr," she said sharply, eyes flaring. "Evice was a joke. Now, with Grandmaster Greevil at the head of CIPHER, I understand the driving force behind this organization."

"What, greed? Hungering for money, is that it?" Perr asked heatedly.

"How dare you!" she cried. "Power, Perr! He has promised me great things if I can excel, and excel I will! The XD project will succeed, you mark my words, and CIPHER will be known throughout this world, in every region from Orre to Kanto. Even the distant Orange Isles will know our name, and they will bow down in reverence!"

"The XD project…" Keiran bit his lip. The words sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn't seem to place it…

"Alice, get out of here," Perr spat. "You disgust me. People like you disgust me. Throwing everything you know and love away for the mere promise of power, and for what? What if you fail?"

"If I fail, he will help me rise back to the top," she whispered.

Perr walked her to the door and opened it violently. "Just get out."

She turned and slunk out of the shop. "Mark my words, Perr," she said, turning around briefly. "You will all pay in the end. Just you wait!"

"Wait, my ass," Perr growled as he slammed the door with so much force the merchandise on the walls shook and made light tinkling noises. Somewhere, an unbalanced bike piece crashed to the floor and left a nasty scuff mark on the polished wood floor.

Keiran slowly let out the breath he had been holding in. "So CIPHER is really back," he said slowly. "I almost can't believe it."

"They never went away," Perr replied in exasperation. "I say that, but no one seems to believe me. Like I told you earlier, they just popped back out of hiding."

Keiran nodded slowly. "Yeah, well, I'll…um…I'll get my engine later. I have to go tell the Professor…"

He backed out of the shop…

…and into the waiting arms of Alice and the bouncer.

"I said you would come with me, kid," Alice whispered as she clapped a gloved hand over Keiran's mouth. "You better not have brought reinforcements if you value your life. Nefis, take him and do something with him."

"Sure thing, miss." The bouncer grabbed him and shoved him roughly into a burlap sack. "What exactly do you plan to do with the kid?"

Alice pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Hold him at the desert lab. I'll have to have a word with Lovreena."

Nefis nodded obediently. "Yes ma'am." He lifted the sack holding the struggling Keiran and loaded it in a waiting motorboat. The boat would go south and stop at a deserted pier where they could take their captive and transport him to the lab without notice of the Gateon townspeople.

Meanwhile, Keiran, who was not having a pleasant time of it in the burlap sack, realized his Pokeball belt was no longer on his waist. "Oh, no! Those buffoons must have taken it!"

He bit his lip in anger and frustration. This was now getting personal.

That, of course, was his last thought as he felt something hard come in contact with his skull and everything around blurred and vanished into a dark void.


	4. Vigilance Network

**Chapter 4 – **_**Vigilance Network**_

* * *

Torian Kiyalrin sniffed the dry desert air of Pyrite Town as she walked its streets for the first time in three years. "Has it already been that long?" she wondered out loud. She smiled in amusement as she reached the crevasse that she had used to escape to the Under. Two months ago, she had turned sixteen, and she was now legally an adult by Vigilance Network standards.

Two months ago, the day before her birthday, was her graduation test, a "final exam" of sorts. Accompanied by her senior partner from Hoenn, she was to enter a hologram that simulated a CIPHER environment and steal legal documents from Haxer Mercede's files. Little had she known that it was no hologram, and that it was indeed, a real mission.

She had felt honored that they had trusted her enough to send her on real time for her final, but at the same time, she felt a little annoyed and unnerved that they hadn't briefed her on it beforehand. Throughout the whole mission, she had kept the secure thought that it was just a hologram until she had seen Haxer. She had known, then, that it was real, and that Haxer truly would stop at nothing to see her dead. That in itself was a chilling thought.

"So, you entering a Coliseum challenge or are you just going to sit there and stare at it?" asked her Mightyena pointedly.

She looked around frantically to make sure no one had heard her Pokemon speak, and Azer provided simply, "Look, we're in front of the Coliseum the day before a major tournament knockout challenge. No one's gonna be here until about midnight tonight. Relax, Torian; you're too tense."

Torian sighed and dangled her feet over the crevasse. Despite the sweltering heat, she pulled her coat tighter and shivered; wasn't this Haxer's hometown? Wasn't the former commodore out for revenge after she and Steven had gotten him fired? "I'm scared," she admitted. "Just a little, but I'm scared of what Haxer will do to me if he finds me."

"You don't have nothing to worry about," Azer reassured her. You're good enough to take on most people barehanded, and you're over here armed to the teeth!" He pawed at her sash, which jingled slightly. "I mean, come on! You have dagger hairpins in your hair, razor chains in your belt, lipstick knives in your purse, a blowgun in the heel of your left shoe, darts in your right heel, and who knows what else."

"Good grief, you're observant," she said with surprise. "I didn't know that you knew I had half the stuff you named off."

"Hey, I'm a Pokemon. Your _first_, to be specific. I know these things."

She was in the process of lightly smacking her Mightyena in the head when the comm. unit on her belt beeped. "Torian! Some of our associates picked up CIPHER activity along the waterways," Steven's voice rang out. "We need you along the road leading into the desert as patrol. Caipha and Destron will meet you there. Hurry!"

"Well, I guess there's your answer," Torian said with a grin as she hopped to her feet.

"Wait…what question…" Azer began, but he decided it best to just follow his trainer, or as he preferred it, _partner_. They ran back through Pyrite's main road and to the gate where Torian had parked her motorbike. She recalled a grumbling Azer back to his Pokeball and left Pyrite in a cloud of dust.

**oOo**

"Kalas, I'm not sure…" Steven began uncertainly, but his boss cut him off.

"Not sure about what, Steven?" he interrupted. "That Torian is ready for a solo mission? I beg to differ." He turned to the wall map he used to plot everyone's courses and pointed to a green pushpin. "You see, I've been watching her since she came into Vigilance Network, and since even before that." He removed the pushpin and set it next to Pyrite, where the Under was located.

"I found her unconscious right after she had climbed down the crevasse. According to what she told me then, she had climbed down it on a dare, slipped, and hit her head on the last six or seven feet." Kalas moved the pin to the far eastern side of the map. "I believed her."

"Wait, you knew Torian before she came to Vigilance Network?" Steven asked. Kalas smiled grimly.

"You will understand everything if you hear me out." He pointed to the pin. "She stayed with Lia for a while, but she needed freedom. I offered her a ticket on the S.S. Tidal and enough money to carry her over to Rustboro City in Hoenn. See, I didn't think she belonged in Orre, a free spirit like that. I offered her the Hoenn Gym Challenge, and she took it. Little did I know…"

Kalas gave Steven a long stare with his cool, grey eyes. "You see, she isn't who you think she is, my friend. Just as I was not when we first met. I presume you know where this is leading?"

Without giving Steven a chance to answer, he continued, "She is the only daughter of Haxer Mercede, former member of CIPHER, and was already a formidable enemy at thirteen. Adopted daughter, of course, but she only found that out recently."

He smiled thoughtfully. "Funny, isn't it? How her life and mine twist so closely, how similar they both are?"

Steven held his hands up. "Wait, I thought you…well…actually I never really thought about _your_ past…" he admitted slowly.

"I figured as much," Kalas said softly. "No, you are at no fault. Most people tend to look at my deeds _against_ CIPHER…but only few know of the atrocities I committed _for_ them."

"What?" Steven laughed. "You? CIPHER? You're joking, right?"

"Would I joke about such a thing?"

Kalas shook his head bitterly. "I always knew I was adopted. See, that was something that Gonzap of Team Snagem never let me forget. He always said that, even though Ein, who was one of the admins at the time, gave me a house, it would never truly be home.

"I remember a bit, but it's all so much like a dream…I was two years old. I remember hearing my mother crying. They told me she was in pain, that she would die soon. I know I had an older brother, but they told me he had fallen in the river. They told me my father was blind, and that he would go soon as well. They told me they had to take me because my family wouldn't live much longer. They wouldn't even let me keep my given name.

"I was trained for five years before I became a full member. Oh, I had training before I turned ten, sure enough, but after that day, I was conditioned like I never believed was possible." He smiled grimly in remembrance. "At first, it took all of the willpower I had to make my aching body get out of bed each day. It got easier after a while, but one day, about two or three years after my training was over, I got sick of watching people get hurt because of me. I wanted freedom. I planned it for weeks until I was absolutely certain nothing would fail, then one morning, I dropped a bomb in the security room and escaped with a stolen motor scooter. Gonzap's guest vehicle, in fact, now that I recall." His smile lightened at the memory. "Of course, you and the rest of the world know the rest of _that_ story."

"Wait, how old _are_ you, anyway?" Steven asked. "According to what you said, that would make you about…"

"I'm only twenty-two, Steven," Kalas said gently. "But working for someone like Evice tends to age you…I feel twice as old as I really am."

"Mind blowing…" Steven muttered. "And all this time I thought I knew who I was working with."

"I'm sorry, Steven," Kalas said apologetically. "But you're not the only one left in the dark. Now, you and I…that makes two people in Vigilance Network that know my secret. I figured…you being one of my closest friends and all…I figured you would forgive me. Others will not likely be as generous. I could not, and I still cannot risk the disbandment of Vigilance Network at such a crucial moment. You…_do_ understand, do you not?"

The silver-haired trainer nodded. "Of course I do. I will not speak of this to anyone else…if it is your wish that I not do so."

Kalas nodded. "Now, back to business, and the reason I wanted you in here and vice-versa. You thought Torian was not ready for a solo mission?"

When Steven didn't answer, Kalas gave him her file. "Look, Steven, I know she was your junior partner, and I know you worry about her, but she knows how to handle herself."

"She's facing dangers no ordinary trainer should have to face!" Steven exclaimed.

"So are you," Kalas pointed out. "We all are. But that doesn't change the fact…"

"She's way too young for this! I can't believe you hired her when you did!"

Kalas crossed his arms. "Steven, might I remind you that, in Vigilance Network, sixteen is the legal age?" Steven Stone had no answer for this.

"You have to let her go, my friend. She is more than capable of handling herself, especially for her age. She'll be fine; don't worry! If I worried this much about you, I would not be in a good position to lead right now."

Steven sighed. "I suppose you're right…I just can't help but worry each time she leaves headquarters to go somewhere…and just wonder if she's okay…"

"That sounds like a different sort of problem to me." Kalas grinned as he spoke.

"A different sort of…if you mean what I think you do…"

Kalas clapped his friend on the back. "I think you should sleep on it; it's getting late."

Steven nodded slowly. "I suppose…" He turned and left. Kalas was right; maybe it _was_ something else…but he couldn't possibly…


	5. Never Send a Man to do a Woman's Job

**Chapter 5 - **_**Never Send a Man to do a Woman's Job**_

* * *

Dust swirled and swooped in the dry desert air as Torian's motorcycle ripped relentlessly through the treacherous sand. "I see why CIPHER chose to take this 'road'," she muttered as, once again, her tires spun uselessly in the dunes. Backing out, she chose a course slightly to the right and continued on, muttering curses under her breath all the while at the bleak desert as she adjusted the tinted goggles on her face, which seemed to take great delight in slipping off at the worst possible moments.

"Damn you CIPHER!" she yelled as she was temporarily blinded by the sun's reflected glare as the sun came out from behind a series of clouds. "How anyone does this without sunglasses, I'll never know," she commented dryly to no one in particular as she stopped to shade her eyes and rest. Her long, forest green coat bearing the Vigilance Network badges was unbearably hot in the arid climate of Orre's northwestern desert, but she left it on; she couldn't risk losing allies by having friendly people see the CIPHER insignia on her shoulder and down her left arm.

Finally, after what seemed like hours of endless desert driving, she spotted a van. Immediately, she sped up and caught up with the vehicle, which sported the words _Cale and Imogene's Personal Hygiene and Earwig Resistance_ across the back and sides. "Cale and Imogene…" Torian said to herself. "C-I-P…CIPHER?" She couldn't help but laugh at the words, though she was unsure of whether she was to die of incredulity right then and there; it seemed to her that CIPHER never made any sense anymore. At least, she was fairly sure it was CIPHER; not many businesses would even consider a name like the one on the van's back doors.

Still, she knew she had to keep her guard up. As she entered speaking range of the van's driver, she began to slowly kill off her engine. "Um, excuse me!" she called as she waved a hand to get the man's attention. "Hey, can you help me? My engine is starting to fail, and I don't know how to get back to civilization without my bike…do you think you can tow it to Phenac or some other city that's close to here?"

The van screeched to a halt and the driver, a thin, wiry man with long, black, greasy hair, jumped out. "Well, I'm not supposed to stop, but…" he stroked his short goatee and finished, "I could never say _no_ to a pretty face. I'll find some rope; hop in." He smiled broadly and rummaged in a side toolbox.

"Why, thank you, hon," Torian said flirtatiously as she batted her eyelashes at him playfully. "I don't know I can repay you…"

"Dinner at Phenac's Blue Water Diner?" he suggested hopefully as he secured the motorbike to the back of the van. She smiled.

"Of course, anything for the man who saved my life," she answered sweetly as she stepped carefully to the cab. She didn't see anything suspicious when she peered inside, but she _did_ see a heavy padlock on every exit out of the cargo hold. "Either Shadow Pokemon or hostages…" she whispered to herself. "I'll have to buy myself some time…"

The driver climbed into the cab and extended a hand across the narrow seats to help Torian up. "So, Miss, uh, Miss…"

"Kaylie," she said with another smile. "Just Kaylie." She took his hand and, as she pulled herself up, she quickly felt for the calluses he was supposed to have as a truck driver. "This your full-time job, driving vans and junk?" she asked curiously.

He nodded. "Yes, indeed. Been doing it for almost ten years now, and it's been one of the best jobs I ever had."

Torian smiled and nodded, pretending to go along with everything. "So, what's _your_ name, pretty boy?"

"Daniel," he replied, almost a little too quickly. As the van sped along the sand, one thing repeatedly ran across her mind: his hands were too soft for him to be telling the truth.

Torian had been along the route to Phenac City countless times, and she knew for sure when they passed up the turnoff that this man was not who he said he was. Keeping up the charade, she asked, "So, where is Phenac in all of this?"

"He motioned toward the sand in front of them. "Just a little ways ahead. You like Pokemon, Kaylie?"

She shrugged. "A little indifferent, really. I'm not a full-time Trainer if that's what you're asking. Biking's more my thing." Leaning in close, she whispered conspiratorially, "Did you hear the news about CIPHER being back? ONBS showed it last night." Watching closely for his reaction, she began to tell him all about the details of the false news broadcast with staged gusto. Finally, after staring hard at the road, she saw his mouth move slightly.

"Damn them ONBS twerps," she read his lips move.

"Hmm?"

He looked up. "Oh, nothing. This road's a mite bumpy, though."

Torian racked her mind hard. She needed true convicting evidence, and she would get it soon. "So, what's your opinion of CIPHER?" Her hand went to his shoulder seductively as she spoke. She edged closer until her arm was around his shoulders and her hand rested on his left arm. He smiled dreamily and unconsciously allowed her to lift the sleeve of his shirt slightly. From her position, she could barely see it, but sure enough, there it was: the swirling CIPHER brand that had become so familiar.

"Nice tattoo," she said with a hint of sarcasm all of a sudden. "I have one of those, too." She held his neck in a tight sleeper-hold with a grip just tight enough to cause him driving problems. "Pull over. Now." Her voice took on a dangerous edge as she drew a pistol from her hidden boot holster and held it to his head. "If you don't pull over, I'll kill you and take the van anyway. Don't you want to live, pretty boy?"

He froze for a moment and the van careened out of control. "Drive, berk. Now, before you kill yourself and whatever you have back there in the back."

Daniel, if that was really his name, nodded quickly and grabbed the steering wheel with white knuckles. "Now pull over." She jabbed his temple with the pistol and sneered, "What, never been held up by a woman before? Well, there's a first time for everything, they say. _Pull over, idiot!_"

He slammed on the brakes, and she swiftly pointed the pistol out the window and fired. He gasped as he jumped and brought his hand up to his head. "That's a warning," she said darkly. "Now if you answer my questions, I might let you go. First, what's your name, because I can bet as sure as hell that it's not Daniel."

"A…Ashura," he stuttered quickly.

"Do you work for CIPHER?"

He glared at her. "Who the hell are you, anyway? And who are you working for?"

She held a finger to her lips. "My time for questions; I'm afraid I can't answer yours. Let me repeat, do you or do you not work for CIPHER?"

"What kind of question is that? You said you had a tattoo like mine; don't you know what it means? Which admin do you work for? I'll report this to the Grandmaster; Snattle will _not_ be pleased."

She smirked. "It was Commodore Haxer Mercede back in my day. Along with Grandmaster Evice and his group."

"So you're a renegade from the old CIPHER?"

She shook her head and raised her eyebrows. "Now did I say that? I no longer work for CIPHER; I kicked the habit. Now tell me. What kind of cargo do you carry in this…um…gaudy vehicle?"

"Gaudy?" Ashura gasped. "Hey, I painted this myself, I'll have you know!"

"It shows," she muttered. "Answer the question," she said a bit louder and jabbed the pistol into his temple again.

"Okay, okay, not so rough!" he complained. "You wouldn't really shoot me, would you?"

She pulled the hammer back slowly as an answer. "Answer the question."

"Check and see," he said with a nervous laugh. "I honestly don't know."

She nudged him with her foot. "Go open it. If I even think you're trying to run, I fire. Got it?"

He hastily fumbled with his keys and unlocked the padlock, lowering her motorcycle. "If there's angry Shadow Pokemon here, it's your fault for unleashing them," he warned as the lock _clicked_.

"Shut up."

Torian peered inside the vast cargo hold. She heard a black toolbox the far end and jabbed Ashura with the pistol again. "Get in. Grab the rope while you're at it."

She securely tied his hands to a tie-down on the wall and left him there. With her gun back down and holstered, she crawled to the box and opened it. Much to her surprise, in it was laying a boy, who was rather short but looked to be about thirteen or fourteen in his facial features. His rather long red hair was bedraggled, and his bangs hung in front of his eyes, partially masking a particularly bloody cut above his right eye. The t-shirt he wore was partially ripped, revealing dark purple and blue bruises along his chest and arms, and his windbreaker pants were cut toward his left ankle, revealing a long gash that dripped blood into the bottom of the box. "Damn, must have been some struggle," she whispered as she surveyed the box to figure out how to get the boy out without injuring him even more. There was no way she could get him out on her own with her slight build…

"You!" she barked at Ashura, and she untied his hands. Gun drawn again, she nodded at the box. "Get the kid out of there and set him on the floor. If you hurt him more…"

Ashura grimaced at the thought of getting blood on his clothes, but he chose helping Torian over getting shot in the head. With strong arms, he lifted the boy out and laid him gently, or as gently as a CIPHER peon was capable of, and glared at Torian.

"You know, _Kaylie_, if that's even your name, that you can never stop CIPHER? Kalas tried to, him and that girl of his, five years ago, but we're back now, and we will always come back. Don't waste your time...besides, our Grandmaster is a much better leader, much more canny than Evice was. I wouldn't…"

"If I were you, I would shut up before I got my brains blown out."

Torian knelt down and felt the boy's pulse, which was faint and barely noticeable. "Okay, kid, let's get you out of here," she whispered. After a quick check to make sure nothing was broken, she picked him up as best as she could and exited the cargo area, shutting the door and locking it with her foot.

"Hey!" Ashura shouted, but the sound was heavily muted and barely heard.

With as much care as she could use, she laid the boy on the seat of the van so she could watch him and secured her motorbike to the back of the van. Finally, she climbed in, started the engine, and began to drive back toward the Vigilance Network HQ nestled in the northernmost forests of Orre.

As she was driving, she kept one hand on his neck, checking his pulse. She also noted that his red hair was matted with blood, most likely from the cut on his eye. Her leg began to fall asleep with his head on her lap, but there was nothing she could do; the cab was not that big and she was not about to leave him in the back with Ashura, tied up though he may have been.

"Hang in there, kid," she whispered, and cringed as the van lurched over a bump. "Damn, I shouldn't even be driving…I've never driven a car before…"

It went something like that the whole way to Vigilance Network HQ, and when she finally crossed over from the marshy middleground between the desert and the forests to the woods she was familiar with, she breathed a sigh of relief. White-knuckled hands clutching the steering wheel, she guided the vehicle through the camouflaged top-security gates, guiding the wheel with her left knee as she flashed an I.D. badge to the guards.

Arms shaking from tension, she all but collapsed in the cab after she parked it in front of the huge double-door entrance, leaning against the steering wheel. Catching her breath, she reached for her radio and found the batteries were dead. "Why now…" she muttered. Turning her head toward the building and yelled, "Steven! Kalas! _Someone_! Send armed men out here, and a medical tech! Oh, forget the formalities and warm receptions…just hurry!"

A young man who had just walked out of the doors nodded hastily and dashed back in. "I hope he's calling for help," Torian muttered dryly. Sure enough, a team of troopers followed him out in less than a few minutes, and she pointed to the vehicle. "There's a guy…he's hurt; he's in the cab. A CIPHER peon's locked in the back, the bike's tied to the very back, and _I need to talk to Kalas_!"

"Whoa, Torian, calm down," Kalas said soothingly as he, in his usual fashion, appeared almost out of nowhere. "You seem to have everything under control well enough…"

"You need to quit doing that," she muttered as she swung herself out of the van clumsily. "Where were Caipha and Destron?" she demanded. "Didn't you promise me reinforcements?"

"Torian, we tried radioing you, but there was no signal…" Kalas began, wringing his hands. "We found out not three minutes after you rode away from here that it was a false alarm. I managed to get a hold of the other two, but your radio signal wouldn't go up. Is your PDA tuned up?"

"Damn thing's out of batteries!" she growled. "I'm sorry, Kalas," she added in a softer tone. "I'm not really that upset…I'm just…it's just that…" She sighed and took a deep breath. "Look, I've never driven an actual vehicle, okay? There; you have the reason I was shaking when I got here. I mean, a motorbike you can see the ground from, but that monstrosity…you can get really claustrophobic in there…I almost peed in my pants every time I hit a bump!"

Kalas burst into laughter. "Torian, are you serious?"

She shrugged. "Well, I never learned how to drive. Most people that enroll in Vigilance Network can drive when they come, you know. All I ever had was my bike."

She glanced at the van. "Looks like it wasn't a false alarm after all…I managed to catch up with this somewhere around Phenac; the guy driving had a toolbox in the back with a beat up kid inside." Torian shook her head. "He's a mess; it's a good thing I don't care about clothes."

The leader of Vigilance Network glanced up and down Torian's bloodstained shirt and grinned. "Might want to warn Steven, or he might go into shock if he sees you all bloodied up like that."

She nodded. "I will, but…look, I don't want someone else to die at my hands. I'm really worried about the guy that got hurt. He looked like he was about twelve or thirteen, maybe fourteen. Poor guy, he got pretty torn up. His pulse was really weak when I brought him here, but he might make it…"

"Someone else to die at your hands?" Kalas questioned. "Torian, what happened?"

"Nothing, just something that happened while I worked for CIPHER, that's all." She shrugged it off. "I'm just spouting stuff because my nerves are on fire; don't mind me." She gave a weak laugh and headed toward the main building.

"Oh, and haven't you considered getting…you know…_that_ removed?" Kalas called. "I mean, the weather's going to be pretty hot soon…and I remember you almost passed out in that coat of yours last year."

Torian rubbed her left shoulder thoughtfully. "I don't know…that would mean I would have to show it to whoever takes it off, right? Nah, it's there to stay."

Her boss sighed. "Well, I'll be happy when you reconsider…"

**oOo**

Torian had just turned a corner when Azer shot out from nowhere and knocked her on the ground. "You went on a mission and didn't take me?" he growled as he placed a heavy paw on her shoulder. "I am offended."

"Azer, my entire mission would have centered on me not being able to battle well," Torian explained. "I told you this already; you're a great fighter, but you never hold back. Besides, you have the Shadow essence, even though you're not a Shadow Pokemon yourself; any high-ranking CIPHER officer would have seen through my ploy immediately if you would have come along. I had no idea who I would deal with. Not like you missed much, anyway."

"I'm sorry…excuse me if I don't like to give up," Azer snorted. "It's not in my nature, okay?" He sniffed at her coat. "Is that blood? Grace above all mercy, Torian, did you kill rabbits too while you so conveniently left me here?"

Torian ran her fingers through Azer's fur affectionately. "Not at all. Yes, I love you too, Azer."


	6. Fidelity, Vigilance, and Honor

**Chapter 6 **_**Fidelity, Vigilance, and Honor**_

* * *

In his groggy state, Keiran Valdoa felt a hand touch his shoulder. "Dad?" he whispered, his throat cracked and hoarse. Sharp jabs shot through his entire body as he tried to move his arms, and he groaned in pain.

"Hey, kid, you okay?" a male voice whispered.

"Does he _look_ okay?" shot another, acidly sarcastic voice, this time female. Keiran felt a cool hand on his face and tried to speak again.

"Where…am…I…" he managed to rasp before the woman shushed him.

"Don't try to talk or anything, okay kid? Just get some sleep; you're hurt pretty bad."

He nodded and winced as the throbbing ache in his legs worsened. He would think about things later…

**oOo**

"I wonder what his name is?" Steven mused. "He looks somewhat familiar…"

Torian paced around the room slowly and ignored him. "This is it," she said suddenly.

"Huh?" Steven looked up. "This is what?"

"This is it," she repeated. "For CIPHER. This time, we'll take them down. If Vigilance Network doesn't do it, then I'll do it alone."

"Alone?" Steven frowned. "You must be joking. What made you so riled up all of a sudden?"

"Because I've had time to think about it. All this time and has Vigilance Network stopped CIPHER yet? I'm sure that if you and I went and infiltrated the base, we could drop Greevil from the chart with one stab and close them down once and for all."

"I didn't know you could think that way."

She snorted. "This is a cold business. CIPHER seems to have that effect on people."

Steven stood up and set a hand on her shoulder. "Look, Torian, I know how much you hate them. I despise them myself. But you can't let anger get in the way of level-headed thinking…"

"Level-headed thinking?" she exclaimed. "Look, Steven." She pointed to the boy lying in the hospital bed. "While we go about and do our level-headed thinking, things like _this_ happen! I don't even know what he did to get on CIPHER's bad side; it could have been anything! Normal, everyday people aren't trained like us, don't you understand? If CIPHER hatches another plot, millions of lives could be at stake while we do our level-headed thinking!" Her voice grew low. "They will stop at _nothing_ to get what they want; I have witnessed firsthand the horrors they commit." A monitor for something beeped softly, as if to emphasize her point.

"I understand, Torian, but you can't run off by yourself," Steven said with a smile playing on his stoic lips. "You do realize you have to take me with you?"

Torian gaped. For a moment, she was speechless. "I thought...what about Kalas...I mean..." she spluttered before turning red and shaking her head slightly to compose herself. "I thought you had an assignment that took you back to the Hoenn research center."

He shrugged. "Well, I figure, since you're my partner, I should go with the Vigilance Code on the part where it says something about protecting those around you…I would say you count as one of those." Winking, he added, "And besides, _someone_ has to make sure you don't accidentally kill yourself."

"Steven!" Torian punched him playfully in the shoulder. "You know I'm perfectly capable out there on my own…"

All of a sudden, Steven's PDA began to beep shrilly. He snapped it open and raised his eyebrows. "Steven, I need your up my new field. I at strategies and all so can help me plan would confound visitors," he read, baffled. "Oh…" he finally said with a sigh. "I think Drake needs more than just help in setting up a new base…who taught him how to e-mail anyway? I think he must have run off on every line and lost a few letters." Steven shrugged. "When you planning on doing this little rendezvous of yours?"

"Not until the kid wakes up and I get some info."

"So I can make about a week's trip into Hoenn to accomplish some business, right? Be nice if you could come with me…you know, meet Wallace and all. He's the new Champion since I've been gone…I don't think you know him, do you?"

Torian snorted. "Actually, he was a gym leader way back when. A bit of a hoity-toity fellow, if you ask me. I remember I almost never had money, so my clothes weren't exactly in the best of shape when I challenged him…never mind; let's not go there."

"I could always call up for another ticket on the S.S. Libra, if you want." Steven offered. "You know, take a break from this dominating/saving the world business and just be a normal person for once. What say you?"

Torian shook her head. "I wish, but I want to be here when he comes to; you don't know what Caipha will ask him. You know how he is; Caipha isn't really that much of a people person…even I'm more socially adept than he is, or so he says. Nah, I think it would be for the best if I stayed here; I daresay I've been in the kid's position a few times myself. Have fun, though, and tell Glacia hi for me."

Her partner nodded. "Sure thing, vigilante." He smiled. "I'm sure he'll be fine, Torian. Don't forget to loosen up every once in a while."

She nodded. "I'll try not to throw anyone off the tower while you're gone. Bye, Steven."

The door closed, and the room was silent, except for the low breathing of the strange boy. "So, just admit it; you're going to miss having the guy around," came Azer's canine voice from behind her. Torian jumped.

"Good grief, Azer; how long have you been in here?"

"Long enough to discern your reaction when he said he was leaving. Just admit it, Torian…"

"Azer, let it go," Torian groaned. "How many times do I have to remind you that you're a Pokemon, not a matchmaker? Just because you can talk doesn't mean you know what I'm thinking…"

"You're thinking about how you want to whack me in the head, right?"

"Lucky guess." Torian sat in a steel chair and drew her legs close to her body. "Whoop-de-doo."

"Now you're thinking of the number six. At least tell me next time before you decide to pull any guess-the-number deals, hmm?"

Torian nearly fell flat on her face as she shot out of the chair in surprise. "Wait, how did you know _that_?"

"I'm your first Pokemon," Azer explained in a bored voice. "I'm supposed to be able to read your thoughts, for the most part, anyway. You're supposed to be able to read mine too, if you concentrate hard enough. Not good enough to talk mentally or anything, but I can see pictures and stuff. Good grief, Torian, and you call yourself a trainer!"

"Excuse me, Azer, but most trainers do not have talking Pokemon to bug them at the wee hours of the day."

"And is that my fault?" Azer grumbled. "So what if I like to talk? I think I can…" he trailed off and one of his pointed ears flipped up. "Guess I better shut up…I think the guy over there is about to wake up…"

At that moment, the boy looked up and blinked rapidly. "Who was the other person talking? I could have sworn I heard a guy's voice in here." His voice was surprisingly deep for his appearance, which looked sharp despite the ordeal he had just been through, and it was all Torian could do to avert her eyes from her Pokemon nervously.

"I think you were just imagining it…I'm the only other person in here," she said quickly. As if on cue, Azer whined to be scratched like a normal Pokemon, to which she obliged, running her fingers through his thick fur.

"Where…" he began, but Torian cut him off.

"You're in a Vigilance Network base in northwestern Orre, we found you in a van on a desert road near Phenac, and you've been out for almost two days. We still have no clue who you are or where you come from and we've been unable to locate your family. There, I think that should cover everything," she finished breathlessly and inhaled deeply.

"Oh, well, I'm Keiran Valdoa…Orre Pokemon HQ Lab. They didn't expect me back for almost a few days…so they're probably not looking for me yet." A confused expression flitted across his face. "So, who are you?"

"Torian Kiyalrin…I'm a Vigilance Network officer." She pulled the chair closer to his bed and sighed. "I know you're probably full to bursting with questions right now, but I need you to answer some of mine. Is there anything you know about CIPHER that would be important? Anything at all?"

"CIPHER?" Keiran frowned. "I know they're back, but as far as important information…"

"Do you know where we can find it?"

"Why do you need so much information about CIPHER?" he asked. "I mean, not much can be found other than the fact that they're back."

"That's one of Vigilance Network's goals," Torian explained. "Look," she said impatiently, "Anything that could help. Where can we go? Who can we trust? Anything at all?"

Keiran scrunched up his face in thought. "Well, there _is_ Perr in Gateon Port, but after what happened in Gateon…I don't know, I think two people would be pretty safe there."

Torian bent down. "Tell me more. Who is this Perr?"

"He's a good buddy of mine. His grandfather runs a mechanical parts shop, but he does most of the work in it. He likes to go down to the Night Tripper bar sometimes, and he hears a lot of stuff there." Keiran winced as he sat up, but he didn't complain. "Are you going to Gateon?"

She nodded and called a growling Azer back to his Pokeball. "Of course. This could be a big lead…I'll be back here, though; just give me a day or two."

"No." Keiran shook his head. "No, I'm coming with you."

"What? No way, kid; look at yourself! You can barely move! Spend about a week in physical therapy before anything; that's my advice…"

"I can manage." As if to prove it, Keiran gritted his teeth and slowly climbed to the floor, where he steadied himself against the bed railing and nodded. "See? I'll be fine. I hate CIPHER probably almost as much as you do; I would do anything to stop them."

"Showy words," Torian said softly. "They're easy to say, but living up to them is a whole new story. Go home; wait a few years before you decide to waste your life; save your adolescence. I wish I could do the same thing."

"How old _are_ you, anyway?" he asked slowly. "You don't look that old…"

She shot him a pointed look. "What does my age have to do with this?"

"You look like you're around my age," Keiran persisted. "Why isn't anyone telling _you_ to go home?

"I have no home to go back to," Torian answered with gritted teeth. "You're a lucky guy; now go back to where you came from before your luck decides to run out. You don't want this job."

"But…"

"My answer is not going to change."

"Captain Kiyalrin!" Caipha Curesti slipped in and handed her a slip of paper, ducking slightly to avoid hitting his head on the ceiling. "A fax from someone in Gateon."

"Name?"

He shrugged. "We traced it, but the user isn't registered. There's no signature, no nothing, only a request for you to be at the Krabby Club at nine PM tonight or tomorrow. I can't tell you what to do, Captain, but I don't think it would be a good idea for you to go alone."

"At the Krabby Club?" Torian laughed. "Come on, Caipha; Gateon is a huge port city. It's most active at night, too, so if someone wanted to ambush me, they would try during the day. I can handle myself."

Caipha sighed and stood up straight, forgetting about his stature and promptly hitting his head painfully on a light fixture. He cursed and ducked his head again. "Why did the engineers have to build a ceiling so low in the rooms? Why can't they be ten-foot ceilings like the hall?"

"Don't ask me," Torian said with a grin as she left the room. "Caipha make sure Keiran gets to the Pokemon HQ Lab safely." She smiled as she noticed Keiran seemed a bit intimidated and added, "Don't worry, Keiran…he doesn't bite. Or scratch, pinch, or sting. Have fun guys!"

She slipped into the hallway, and Azer popped out and pawed at her heel. "Don't forget to take me this time," he growled affectionately. "Or I'll bite you when you get back."

"Yikes, Azer, now you're threatening me?"

"Of course not. I'm making a promise."

Torian frowned thoughtfully as she scratched the Mightyena behind the ears. "I guess I'd better take you then."

**oOo**

"I know you're confused, kid," Caipha said gruffly as he led Keiran out to the main entrance. "She tends to have that effect on people. All I can say is that she didn't hit you. Congratulations."

"Huh?"

Caipha laughed. "Torian is very…unpredictable. She'll drop everything she's doing to answer an anonymous call, or wager everything she has for a tiny stab at victory. She has a deep loathing for CIPHER that none of us would really understand, I think, and that's what makes her who she is."

"Wait. This might sound like a stupid question, but…" Keiran paused and brushed his tangled red hair out of his eyes. "Who is she?"

Caipha shrugged. "I dunno, really. Many of us at Vigilance would dearly love to know the answer. I have to admit, it would be nice to know who you're working for; all I know about her that I can be sure of is that she's capable of more than she appears to be. How else did she become a captain at her age? I'm just sorry I can't answer all of your questions."

Keiran looked up at the figure that towered above him and shrugged. "It's okay. I guess there's a lot of things I'll never understand." He would have said more, but at that moment, a silver Mercedes Benz pulled up to the main gate, which they had reached. He would have continued to speak, but the driver's stoic glance quickly shushed him, and he and Caipha climbed into the back seat.

They spent the trip in silence, Caipha staring out the tinted windows taciturnly and Keiran closing his eyes to try and make sense of all that had happened. The soft leather seats were so comfortable that, for a moment, he forgot all about how much he ached all over, until the car screeched to a stop in front of his HQ Lab home.

"A bit of useful advice, kid," the tall man said seriously. "Take Torian's advice and stay home. Trust me; if she told you to stay out of things, she probably has a good reason. And don't spill a word of Vigilance to anyone; you never know who will be listening. But if you need us, dial this number on your PDA." He handed Keiran a small business card with the words "Remain Vigilant to seek what you lack." printed across the top. A number was printed across the bottom, along with the words, "Fidelity – Vigilance – Honor."

Keiran read over the card slowly. Before he could look up and ask Caipha anything, however, the Mercedes Benz had already driven out of sight. Shrugging, he pocketed the card and braced himself for the hectic, worried welcome he would receive as soon as he stepped through the double glass sliding doors that marked the entryway of the Pokemon HQ Lab.


	7. Eridos Verich

**Chapter 7 - **_**Eridos Verich**_

* * *

The familiar, busy, crowded streets and bright, flashing lights of a city at night filled Torian's senses as she made her way through the crowded Central District of Gateon Port. She had no idea who this Verich fellow was, or even what he looked like; all she knew was that he had a neat, spidery handwriting and he preferred fax machines to PDAs.

Mind wandering, she absentmindedly made her way to the Krabby Club, which wasn't exactly the most sophisticated bar in town, and slipped inside before anyone could ask how old she was. With certain, deliberate strides that exuded a confidence she did not really feel, she approached the grimy bar. "Do you know where I might find a Mr. Eridos Verich?" she asked the bartender politely.

A look of fear crept into the old man's gnarled face. "Eridos…Verich?" he gulped nervously. "V.I.P. room, up the left stairwell."

"Who is he, if you don't mind my asking?" She suddenly developed a sense of dread in the pit of her stomach. Silently, she released Azer and stood firm as a chill swept through her body.

"Who is he…" the bartender let out a loud hoot of laughter. "You kidding right?" When her blank stare did not change, he shrugged. "You obviously ain't been here long, lassie." He looked around nervously and whispered, "S'posedly, he's some old noble guy from the Orange Islands. Says he's here to see the sights and all but..." the old man shivered involuntarily. "He just got this aura of power…evil power. He's filthy rich, and he bought everyone in here drinks just a few minutes earlier, but I don't think it's because he's some nice, doddering old millionaire with money to burn. I'd watch my step if I was you, girl."

"Thanks for the warning," Torian said, inclining her head to show her gratitude. Swallowing the growing feeling of unease, she nudged Azer with her heel and the two of them made their way through the crowd and up a set of old, creaky wooden stairs.

"Wait!" the barkeep called. Glancing over her shoulder, Torian noticed the old man limping toward her, cleaning rag still hanging from his hand. His voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper. "They say he's waitin' for someone here. Be careful, lassie, but you didn't hear that 'un from me."

Torian's heart, which had been sitting uneasily at around bowel-level, plummeted to the soles of her feet at this. She glanced at Azer, who returned her look with a very confused look of his own, and finished her ascent, the floorboards groaning from her weight. It was not a comforting sound, she mused as she turned the rusty doorknob and entered the room.

The scene she saw before her was not one she expected. The V.I.P. room, unlike the rest of the Krabby Club, was richly adorned in silks, expensive rugs, and ornately carved tables. Sitting at one of these tables was an old man, rather stout, wearing shiny grey robes emblazoned with elaborate artwork. Flanking the table on either side were two younger men, one appearing to be in his mid thirties and the other to be about twenty-five. The elder "guard" (at least, she assumed they were guards) was bedecked in long, royal blue robes, while the younger guard wore similar clothing, only in red. Both of them wore stoic, intimidating looks on their faces, contrasting quite nicely with the old man himself, who, despite his serious-looking bodyguards, appeared to be in a quite pleasant mood. "

"I was invited by a Mr. Eridos Verich?" Torian said slowly as she approached the table.

"Ah, Torian Kiyalrin, I presume?" he asked in return with a booming voice quite uncharacteristic of his size. "I have been waiting for you."

"Famous last words," Azer whispered so that only Torian could hear him as he sidled up beside her and curled up at her feet.

"Come, Torian, sit. Chardonnay? Merlot? Anything I can get you?" He motioned to the blue-clad man. "Ardos! Pull a chair up for her! Fetch this young woman a glass!"

Torian accepted the glass and sat down. Whatever the bluish-purple drink was, it smelled absolutely vile.

"Nope, not like you're two years under the legal limit or nothing," she heard Azer mutter from somewhere behind her. She answered with a kick, which he apparently evaded, because all she managed to brush with her heel was a few strands of loose fur.

"Now, to business." Verich clapped his hands together in glee. "You see, there is a reason I have requested your presence here. There is a certain something I seek, and sources have told me you may know where it is."

"Me? What sources would tell you that?" she asked suspiciously, pretending to sip at the wineglass in her hand.

"An old man such as myself with enough money can garner information from just about anyone," he said with a twinkle in his eye. "I was a good friend of your dear father..."

"Any friend of Haxer Mercede is no friend of mine," she spat, heat rising to her face.

"Wait; calm down, dear child." Verich waved his hands in supplication. "I knew the man far before CIPHER was even created. A brilliant mind, that one. Shame he went the direction he did, really."

She blinked incredulously. "You knew Haxer before..."

"I certainly did. I knew the old dog back in his university lab days. Shortly before he joined CIPHER, he informed me of a certain Shadow Pokemon, one that had, in fact, hoodwinked the Shadow process. It still has the Shadow aura, of course, but it's very faint. In any case, this Pokemon may be what is needed to defeat CIPHER; with it we may be able to unlock the clues about the Shadow process. He also told me you had a knack for Pokemon, even at your young age. If that knack is still there, then maybe you can assist me in my search for this weapon?"

"I thought CIPHER created the Shadow process."

Verich shook his head vehemently. "No, no indeed not! That process was nurtured in the laboratories of the Johto Regional University of Sciences, way in Goldenrod City. CIPHER merely stole those lab secrets and improved upon them, my dear."

Torian nodded as normally as she could, but inside, she was feeling very uneasy. From his description, it almost sounded as if he were talking about Azer. If that was the case, she would have to watch what she said from here. "If I hear anything about this Pokemon, I'll be sure to let you know, Mr. Verich," she said slowly. "I wouldn't want to slow the stopping of CIPHER, now, would I?"

The man's eyes twinkled again, but more in a sinister way. "Of course not, child, I thought you would say so. That is all I wished to speak to you about, and it _is_ a pleasure to talk to the only child of my old friend. Safe travels, dear." His voice gave her chills that reverberated throughout her spine, and she was glad to leave.

Nodding her thanks, she rose and bowed deeply, discreetly tipping the glass of wine into a potted plant as she did so. Then, she pretended to drain the glass, keeping her hand over the clear crystal to hide the fact that there was no wine left to drink in the first place. "The same to you, Mr. Verich," she said smoothly and slipped out of the V.I.P. room, Azer hot on her heels.

"Torian, we need to find a place to talk," Azer whispered urgently as he bounded down the steps behind her. Waving to the barkeep, who was busily bussing tables, Torian strode out of the establishment, making her way toward an abandoned dock. The moon was high in the sky by this time, and though the activity on the street was bustling and alive, the docks were deserted, devoid of life.

"Torian, you realize that Mr. Verich guy was talking about me, right," Azer pointed out when they were finally out of earshot of other people. "I have this feeling he's not telling the whole truth, if he's telling any at all."

"I agree, Azer. I'm worried, more than anything," Selene fretted. "What if this were a ruse to keep me out of Vigilance Network duty for a little while? CIPHER could be planning an attack at this very moment, and I'm not on duty to stop it from happening!"

"You can calm down now, _Captain_," Azer reassured her with his usual dry tone. "You're a fairly high ranking officer. There's enough grunts available for battle fodder to supply them until you get back. You're not supposed to worry about full-scale attacks, anyway. That's Destron's job; he's the tactitian."

"Don't worry?" Torian spat incredulously. "That's bullshit, and you know it, Azer. I'm one of the few, and possibly the only one in Vigilance Network that knows exactly how CIPHER lays its dirty little plans. They might be able to survive a full scale attack without me, but...how am I supposed to keep from feeling guilty if twenty people die and I could have been there to stop it from happening?"

She fell silent and watched the dark blue waves wash up at her feet. Azer, who usually had an acidic remark for everything, sensed her distress and merely curled up at her feet.

**oOo**

At another dock, about a city block away, tall, lanky, red-robed Eldes sat and watched the girl who had, only minutes ago, been his master's honored guest. Through his eye-mounted zoom lens, he could watch her as though he were standing right in front of her, and with such a lens, it didn't take a hawk to see the salty tears that dripped down her cheeks. Nor did he have to look much longer to spot four CIPHER peons that crept behind her, knives raised and ready to strike.

A sharp, keening whistle disturbed the still night air of Gateon Port. The peons sprang into action and dove for the girl, but Eldes had already primed a semi-automatic regulation handgun, and it only took him four, lethal shots to drop all four of them to the ground. It was only after the instinctual action that he realized those four shots could possibly cost him his freedom...and possibly his life.

A sudden, gripping fear seized his heart as he ducked behind a crane and out of sight of anyone drawn out by the gunfire. Slowly, he was realizing the enormity of what he had just done.

**oOo**

Torian looked around frantically as Azer snarled and bared his fangs beside her at the dead bodies. "That was too close, pal," he warned. "If I were to be a _bit_ more presumptuous, I would say someone wanted you dead."

"That's a comforting way to put it," the redhead spat back as she gripped her pistol tightly and wished dearly that she had donned the bullet-proof vest offered her when she had left the Network stronghold. Cautiously, she crept along the street and ducked behind a crane, almost tumbling into the lap of Mr. Eridos Verich's red-robed bodyguard.

He clapped a hand on her mouth, muffling her yell of surprise. "Hold your tongue here!" he shushed her, but his voice was not one of malevolence. "Follow me," he instructed, "and stay low!"

Not in any position to disobey, Torian grudgingly allowed the guard to lead her to a massive cruise ship docked in one of the more elaborate parts of town. Behind both of them, Azer snarled and spat, but did nothing to provoke her supposed kidnapper. She figured she could always get herself out of whatever situation she was getting into later when she found out what was going on, and with that thought in mind, she recalled Azer to the safety of his Pokeball.

The boarding plank they took to reach the ship was, as expected, heavily guarded, but the red-robed man flashed an ID card confidently, though Torian could feel his shaking hand gripping the back of her coat like a sweaty vice. "Eldes, here with a witness to the coup," he declared, but she noticed he whisked her inside before anyone could get a good look at her face. Finally, he yanked her into the ship and sealed the hatch, making sure the faint _click_ was audible before releasing her with a breath of relief.

"You," he said breathlessly, "must get out of Gateon. Now. Get out of Orre, and get as far away as you can from this place. The Grandmaster is on the move, my lady; here, there is a back way to escape from this ship. Allow me to show you..."

"Not without answers," Torian demanded. "Who are you? Who do you work for?"

"I surmise you know the answer to that question already, my lady, if I am right in recognizing that tattoo on your shoulder."

Torian's blood ran cold as she realized her coat had a large rip right down the left sleeve. Exposing the one thing she dearly wished to hide. "You are going to answer my first question before anything else happens," she said shakily, keeping one hand ready on her gun.

"There is no time!" he hissed as he grabbed her tightly by the shoulder and steered her quickly through an open hatch and down a steep flight of stairs. "I will explain when you are set to make your escape."

"You're helping me?"

"Only because I must."

He was silent the rest of the walk, which consisted of two more narrow, twisting hallways and one more flight of steel steps that were more like ladder rungs than stairs before opening up into a small landing that led to a deck equipped with a small lifeboat. It was there that he turned to her and gripped both of her shoulders tightly, a sense of urgency belayed by his glowing, amber eyes.

"You are undoubtedly Haxer Mercede's daughter," he murmured as he looked over her. "You carry that same, self-confident air. An aura of power, almost."

She broke away from his grip and spat on the ground beside her. "I am _nothing_ like that pig!" she snarled, her eyes veritable daggers of fury. "How do you know me, anyway?"

"Haxer Mercede is dead," he replied simply, "and he left you, his sole surviving heir, to CIPHER in his will. Unfortunately, you have angered one too many officials of the current CIPHER hierarchy, and so there are many who wish you dead. I could not impose such a fate on one so young."

"He did _what_?" she screeched. Her fury at her adopted father knew no bounds, it seemed. "Good riddance to the old he-bat, but...hell..."

"Torian, you must leave Gateon. Do you promise me this? If not willingly, know you save my life by doing so, as I saved yours by shooting down the thugs that meant to kill you."

"I suppose that's fair," she mused. "I guess I don't get to indulge in the pleasure of knowing your name?"

"Eldes." He extended a hand, which she shook firmly. "It is nice to have finally met you in person, my lady. Know that whenever you strike a blow against CIPHER, there is a force on the inside aiding your efforts."

With that, he all but pushed her to the deck, and they unhooked the lifeboat in silence. Finally, as she slipped overboard to her freedom, he tossed her a tiny metal cube. "A cloaking device, my lady," he whispered to avoid the attention of guards on the upper decks. "So you are not seen. Be safe!"

"Shame," Torian muttered as she activated the camouflaging technology. "And I was just getting to know him, too." Without another word, she gunned the engines and skimmed the light craft out of the harbor.


	8. Catching Up

**Chapter 8 – **_**Catching Up**_

* * *

_**A/N:**__ So sorry for the long wait, guys! This is the first officially "new" chapter, as the others have all simply been revised from the ones I wrote last year. Also, I have been busy with band camp and other music/band nerd related things. Another apology, also, because my sophomore year starts in two days and from what I see of my schedule, it's going to be a long, hard, grueling year. Yay for choosing the "nerd" path and signing up for all honors classes. I complain about it every year, and yet every year I do the same thing. What is wrong with me, I wonder? Wait...don't answer that. Just...read. And review. Yes, definitely review. : )_

_- __**Silvorfithrade**_

* * *

Keiran slipped into the lab foyer as quietly as he could. It was late afternoon, and the receptionist had slumped down in her seat for a quick nap, something he would have reported as a complaint under normal circumstances. He knew the exterior door to the living quarters, a sort of side add-on to the lab, would be locked, and that he would have to let one of the workers see him to let him in. Knowing this fact, he slipped into a side elevator and hoped there was no one on the second floor, where the two buildings were connected by a short breezeway.

When the elevator door opened again, his heart sank. There stood his mother, Professor Krane, and two lab technicians, all apparently waiting to use the elevator. Keiran gave a futile attempt to slip away to the side and escape, but his mother's quick eyes drank in the details of his mangled appearance before he even had a chance to leave the elevator.

"_Keiran_! Oh my God, my _baby_!" Lily howled, shock etching itself into her lined face. "What happened to you? Who did this? Oh, baby..."

Keiran's high spirits at returning to the lab in one piece plummeted at the expression on his mother's face. "Mom, I'm fine. It's okay, I promise...no, Mom, please. Don't start crying," he said in a last-ditch attempt to keep his return quiet. But by this point, her wails had drawn quite a crowd of lab workers, all who seemed to share her sentiment, if not her outspoken opinion of it.

"Don't cry?" she sniffed, glaring at her son. "Don't cry? I see my only son come in from a simple trip to Gateon Port for mechanical parts looking like a war victim, and you tell me not to cry?"

"Lily, at least he's in one piece," Krane pointed out, looking over the boy appraisingly. "He's alive, and he's home safe." The professor gave Keiran a nod and pointed at the breezeway door with his elbow as the distraught woman buried her face in his sleeve. Keiran took the opportunity for escape immediately and left, nodding his thanks. Krane, meanwhile, turned to Lily, who was in the process of blowing her nose into a large, pink handkerchief.

"I'm going to let him get cleaned up now, and later we can discuss matters over some of that key lime pie you made earlier." He ruffled the woman's hair affectionately, and she nodded in response.

"Allan," she said, her voice quavering, "those two kids are the only tie to Jesse I have left. I know I'm a scientist, and I shouldn't be acting like this, and...oh, maybe a few years ago, I would have let it slide with more dignity, but I don't know if I can bear to see either of my children in pain."

Krane watched her for a moment. "Lily, I know you love Keiran and you worry about him, but I think he'll be fine, no matter what kind of trouble he runs into." He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "That kid's got too much of his father in him, make no mistake. I'm almost beginning to think of him as my own son."

Lily laughed as she wiped her eyes with a clean corner of her handkerchief. "Well, you _were_ Jesse's best friend. I suppose I'll have to take your word for it, won't I?"

"No," Krane corrected, a smile dancing on his face. "Observe, and you'll see for yourself. Isn't that what science is about?"

"You and Jesse are one and the same," she said, shaking her head in an odd mix of sadness and amusement. "No wonder Keiran looks up to you so much."

**oOo**

Keiran Valdoa glanced at himself warily in the floor-length bathroom mirror, hardly recognizing the person reflected in it. His unruly red hair was tangled and matted, his face bruised and scratched. A purplish cut above his right eye was swollen and scabbed, and the grime on his face almost altered his skin color.

His clothes were in similar condition. Despite his brief stay at the Vigilance Network headquarters, his outward appearance was decidedly terrible, with his shirt tattered and stained with blood in various places where the cloth had stuck to his wounds. The same description, he noted, could be used for his jeans, which were also ruined beyond recognition. His arms groaned in protest as he ripped off the ruined shirt and quickly stripped off the rest of his torn outfit in favor of a hot shower.

Hot water and soap, of course, don't go well with open wounds, as he quickly learned. Hissing in pain, he yanked the dial to the _cold_ setting, scraping off what dirt he could in record time, and practically leaping back out as soon as his hair was clean. By no means was Keiran a primadonna, but neither did he have the trained hardiness of a soldier. He was only a boy, and the pain he felt was beyond any he had ever experienced growing up at the lab.

"Keiran, I think you may need this more than I thought." Professor Krane opened the door, a syringe in hand and a worried expression on his face. "Maybe we should have sent you straight to the med center."

"I'm fine, Professor," Keiran managed to choke out, but the sickening pain crept throughout his body as he spoke, leaving him with an overwhelming urge to throw up.

He passed out instead.

**oOo**

"Captain Kiyalrin! Report!"

All trace of Kalas's amiable personality was gone, replaced by his brusque, commanding presence he used when discussing military intelligence. Torian was used to this sudden shift by now, though she could easily recall, with some amusement, a time when he could easily catch her off guard and completely throw her perceptions of everyone in Vigilance Network wildly off-balance.

She quickly filled him in on the details of her "mission," tactfully leaving out the part where Eldes had saved her and sent her home, formulating instead a story of how she had simply commandeered one of CIPHER's unguarded vessels upon leaving the bodies of her attackers for other investigators to find. Some details, she had learned, were best left out of the records.

It took Kalas longer than his usual split-second response to digest her information, leaving her time to allow her eyes to wander the haphazard state of her boss's makeshift "office." Rumor had it the tiny room was once simply a large janitorial storage room that had been cleared out and renovated when Vigilance purchased the building. True or not, she could definitely see the similarities. Tiny cracks spiderwebbed across the wall corners, mostly covered by maps dotted with multicolored pushpins, long lists with phone numbers and addresses scrawled in a messy script, and sticky notes with reminders jotted hastily on them strewn forgotten across the fragile walls that looked as though they were ready to collapse.

The desk was in no better condition. Newspapers piled up on the floor in a messy stack; faxes, printed off e-mails, letters on important-looking letterhead, and other, indiscernible sheets of _something_ lay scattered across the surface; and paperclips, binder rings, pens, pads of Post It notes, and other office amenities peeked out from desk drawers that had long since refused to close. A single photograph of his wife, Lia, was visible under the many layers of _stuff_ that seemed to just be thrown across the pockmarked wood.

She was a lovely woman, Torian thought absently to herself. She had to admit, Kalas had picked a beautiful girl to marry, though – almost as a tribute to his steadfast character – his reasons for marrying lay far beyond superficial attraction. Waist-length blonde hair fell in delicate, wispy clouds around a distinctly elfin face, with high cheekbones and deep, liquid-brown eyes. Intelligent eyes. Lia was thin in the picture, almost _too_ thin. Torian frowned; this wasn't the Lia she remembered from three years past. The rosy blush had faded from her cheeks, and the smile even seemed faked.

"Torian." The voice of Vigilance's leader broke through her curious thoughts as Kalas returned her slightly guilty look at being caught snooping with a bemused smile. Of the picture, however, he said nothing, and resumed his businesslike attitude immediately. "Did this Verich fellow mention anything else that may have tipped him off as working for CIPHER besides your hunch?"

"My hunch was based on his all-too-keen interest in Shadow Pokemon," Torian returned simply. _And that his red-robed crony all but admitted his ties with CIPHER in that cryptic speech of his,_ she thought to herself. Still...something kept her from telling the full story. Every time she even thought of reporting Eldes, something would make her pause. A thought tinged with incredulity struck her; was she _protecting_ the red-robed man from her own people? She shrugged the treasonous thought away immediately. Of course she wasn't protecting him; it wasn't like Vigilance would send in all their men, guns blazing, to wipe out this added "threat" immediately anyway. Vigilance spent too much time thinking, she reflected regretfully. Maybe she would change that attitude one day...

"You seem to be quite the daydreamer today, Torian," Kalas said to her reproachfully. "You're usually pretty straightforward...is something bothering you?"

Torian quickly shook her head and cleared her mind of any image of Eldes. "No way; I think I'm just tired. Just thinking about the Pyrite tournament tonight makes me want to curl up and go to sleep," she said with a laugh. "Azer's lucky; he's away in his Pokeball, getting all rested and here I am running around getting shot at. I'm fine; a little more coffee and I'll be good as new."

"Then go get some rest. You know where the coffee is. Good luck on the tournament, by the way. I know that's your only source of income right now." His usually icy grey eyes reflected a rare degree of warmth in the way he regarded her. "Stay strong, vigilante," he added with a note of farewell that suggested their conversation at this point was over, and hunched back over his notes. The worn-down old computer hummed and whirred in the background as Torian left the tiny office with more questions than she cared to find the answers to.


End file.
